Sports journalists aren’t as popular as actors or musicians, but a few of them manage to make their way into the spotlight. One of such sports journalists is Amin Elhassan. His impeccable analysis and sports presentation skills have distinguished him among others in his clime. To think that he had no degree in journalism or any related profession makes him a figure to watch out for.
Amin is a graduate of engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Regardless, he is making waves in the sports industry. Maybe he studied sports engineering, who knows? His dexterity landed him to the corridors of ESPN, where he has been doing amazing work as a sports commentator.
Amin Elhassan’s Biography
One would imagine with the kind of waves Amin has made in America, and the absence of accent, he would have been born on American soil. Well, he wasn’t. He was born in Sudan on the 12th of April 1979. He lived in Sudan for three years before his family decided to make a move to the land of opportunities, America. When they came to America, their city of abode was New York City.
Amin traveled back to Sudan when he was eight. While in Sudan, he developed a passion for sports, especially basketball. He once said he asked his dad to buy him a pair of sneakers while in Sudan, but that was like hitting a brick wall. He, however, returned to New York in 1993 to attend high school. His passion for sports never translated to a career in it. He rather resorted to studying engineering at GIT. This choice was informed by his excellent abilities in maths and sciences.
5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Amin Elhassan
He Worked for NBA Clubs But Never Played
Though he studied engineering, it was obvious that Amin Elhassan didn’t fit in. His passion for basketball didn’t make him a player either. However, his career started with the Atlanta Hawks, a team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Instead of landing in the courts, he was in the marketing department. That was a bit challenging, for someone who has a degree in engineering. But he fared well. It was in his days at the Atlanta Hawks that he became conversant with the NBA environment, making some beneficial connections along the way.
In 2004, he left the Atlanta Hawks for an internship program with New York Knicks. Yet again, he did not play. He worked with the operations office throughout the 2004/2005 season.
At the end of his internship, he was hired by the Phoenix Suns as a video coordinator. His brilliance and excellence pushed him to the elevated position of a scouting coordinator. He kept on performing well till he landed the position of assistant director of basketball operations. He was assigned to work under Steve Kerr, who was the team manager at the time. Elhassan spent four seasons with Phoenix Suns altogether before parting ways with them in 2009.
He is an NBA Analyst for ESPN
Amin Elhassan has always been adventurous and has a knack to go after big challenges. As part of his craving for a more challenging role, he successfully pitched ESPN, one of the leading sports channels in the world. He was hired as a freelance sports writer for the channel. He discharged his duties excellently, reeling out great sports articles that got a lot of buzzes. Owing to his competence and consistency, he got permanently employed by ESPN in 2013. Ever since he has been a sports correspondent and analyst. He has covered a lot of high profile NBA games, giving fantastic analysis.
Outside covering and analyzing NBA games, he has also appeared on other ESPN sports shows. The Jump and SportsNation are two of the most prominent. He is also a frequent contributor on The Dan LeBatard Show, an ESPN live radio podcast.
He is a Father
When it comes to Amin Elhassan’s personal life, he has done well to keep it away from the prying eyes of the media. He is nearing 40 and one would wonder if he is married, has a family, or even in a relationship. The thing is, there is no concrete evidence to that effect.
However, while replying to a tweet in September 2018, he said he had his first kid when he was 31. He went on to say he was not ready too. That was assumed to be referring to his relationship status. It’s possible he is married or isn’t married. But one thing that is clear from the tweet was that he has a kid, that makes him a father.
He Has Been Involved in Some Scandals
Well, when it comes to holding it together, Amin has fallen short a number of times.
In February 2016, he abandoned an ESPN radio show half-way because of an ugly argument he had with . The duo continued their ugly affront on social media with no holds barred. He later apologized to his fans on the radio for his unruly behavior.
In August of the same year, Amin Elhassan made fun of ’s son for a video posted by his wife, where the young lad was celebrating his dad’s victory. His comment, “Until someone told him it was scripted”, got him some serious social media lashings.
He is also known for making seemingly offensive jokes during sports shows. This has landed him in a lot of controversial situations with fans of some NBA teams.
He is Not an American Citizen
It is interesting to know that though Amin has spent almost three decades in America, he is not yet an American citizen. Though he has an African-American ethnicity, he is not an American national. His nationality still remains Sudanese. This situation might affect his long-term career prospects in America.
